A missed opportunity to address LGBT issues

Two months after Roopban’s launch, the uproar over Bangladesh’s first ever LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) magazine has subsided considerably. When it came out in January, the media went berserk about its homosexual themes, while others highlighted the controversy to sell the news. But how many of these people actually picked up the magazine, and offered constructive criticism?\n

The publication of a magazine to make the public aware of Bangladesh’s LGBT rights situation is legitimate and noble. We should credit the team behind Roopban for overcoming the odds and getting their magazine out. Just imagine the problems they must have faced in finding a publisher, financer and writers. They must have expected the backlash the publication would receive, and still went bravely ahead. Read more.